


Sleepovers in My Bed

by caswell



Category: Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: Baking, F/F, Fluff, Sleepovers, mild angst??? in the beginning? veronica is Traumatized(TM), this is really just 3k words of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2019-01-09 02:57:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12267474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caswell/pseuds/caswell
Summary: Veronica is deteriorating, suffering from lack of sleep; Betty is her lifeline.





	Sleepovers in My Bed

**Author's Note:**

  * For [etoisle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/etoisle/gifts).



> Another installment in my quest to write for every. Heathers. femslash. ship.  
> Thanks for clicking on this even though it's a super rarepair,,, for SOME REASON I mean come on Betty is totally in love with Veronica????  
> Also sorry for tagging it with the musical too even though Betty isn't in there, I have no clue if people even go in the movie tag

Life hasn't been good for Veronica in a long time. The days are rough, but nights… nights are nearly fatal. Oftentimes, she can count on one hand the hours of sleep she got; her grades are slipping, her health is deteriorating, because she tosses and turns and thinks of guns and bombs and blood and sleep can't catch up with her. So, Friday night at 10 P.M., Veronica decides to beat her mind at its own game. “Hello, Betty?” she says, when the girl on the other end of the line picks up the phone. “It's Veronica.”

 _“Oh, Veronica, hi,”_ Betty replies, voice hushed and sleepy. _“I was about to go to bed… but I’m glad you called.”_  Veronica hears a shuffling noise as Betty rubs one eye tiredly, one finger inadvertently brushing against the microphone. _“What’s up?”_

“Ah… geez, I'm sorry,” Veronica says, cursing herself internally- she should have remembered that Betty goes to sleep early even on weekends. “I was just wondering if you wanted to come over. Y’know, we haven't had a sleepover in years. I… thought it'd be fun.”

 _“My parents are actually out on vacation, so I think that'd be nice,”_ Betty says, and Veronica smiles, relieved. _“But are your parents okay with it? What if we're too noisy?”_

Veronica snorts in slight amusement. “You won't have to worry about that. The Sawyers sleep like logs.” _If only I'd inherited that,_ she thinks to herself, then shakes her head to dismiss the thought. No time for angst now. “And besides, we're almost adults. I don't think they're gonna flip their lids if I have a friend over unannounced.”

 _“Yeah, I guess so,”_ Betty says, and is quiet for a moment. _“Should I, um… just pack my pajamas and head over?”_ There's a hint of that same old happiness in her voice that Veronica missed so much- how could she ever forget it?

Curling the phone cord with one finger, Veronica grins and says, “Yeah, that sounds good. And, look, I'm sorry for not inviting you over more, it's just… been a rough couple months.”

 _“Oh, no, don’t worry,”_ Betty assures her quickly. _“I’m just glad we’re spending more time together now… even if you’re still friends with the Heathers, you’re my friend too.”_

Veronica rolls her eyes. _Good lord, the Heathers._ She was getting closer with Heather McNamara, and after a month, Heather Duke’s faux-Chandler act had been wearing off, but she still wasn’t really a fan of being associated with them anymore. It wasn’t worth it. “Yeah, well, you’re a hell of a lot better than them,” she says, and Betty hums happily. “Anyway- c’mon, get over here. We’ll bake cookies or something.”

 _“Oh- right, right,”_ Betty says. _“Um, I’m gonna hang up and go get ready. I’ll see you soon, alright?”_

“Bye, Betty.” Saying her name gives Veronica a strange feeling in her chest- something warm and familiar, but not _too_ familiar. She doesn’t try to analyze it, doesn’t pick it apart and poke and prod; for now, she’s just comfortable spending time with her friend. As Betty says her goodbye as well and hang up, Veronica closes her eyes, gentle smile reappearing on her face.

 

It’s been about half an hour by the time Betty arrives at the Sawyers’ house. Veronica, nose-deep in a book to pass the time, starts as she hears the doorbell chime, and hops out of bed. For the first time in a long time, there’s a skip in her step; she heads quickly for the front door and, within a minute, swings it wide open. “Betty,” she breathes, “thank you so much for coming.”

“Of course,” Betty says, looking somewhat confused. “I’m always up for hanging out.” She’s carrying a bundle of clothes- her pajamas, presumably- in her arms, and looks around for somewhere to put it. “Uh…”

“Here,” Veronica says, and takes the pajamas in her own arms, tucking them in the crook of one elbow. “I’ll put them in my room in a second. ...Um.” She looks at Betty for a moment, then sighs, closes her eyes, and pulls her close. It’s a daring move- something in her is scared to, because of all the times she’s shafted her dear friend; does she _deserve_ it?- but she hugs her tight, and Betty relaxes in her arms after a moment.

“Veronica? What’s wrong?” she asks, startled, but not sounding unhappy. “You’re acting kinda weird… Are you okay?”

Veronica nods, then presses her face into Betty’s shoulder for a second before releasing her from her grip. “Yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry. I’m just… glad to see you, is all.”

“Right, right.” A little flustered, Betty rubs the back of her neck- Veronica’s heart flutters a little as she sees the hint of a rosy blush on her cheeks. “Did you wanna do something before we go to sleep, or?”

Veronica gestures with her head in the direction of the kitchen. “I was thinking we could make some cookies, remember? My mom picked up some frozen dough the other day, but I don’t think she’s ever gonna use it.”

Betty beams, face lighting up like an angel’s, or so it seems to Veronica. “That sounds great, Ronnie! I remember when we used to bake all the time… even when we were too little to use the oven.”

With a fond smile, Veronica remembers those days- their mothers chatting together at the kitchen table and glancing back to check on them once in a while; the lessons when they were little on how to use the stove but _never_ to use it without adult supervision; the batches of burned cookies that made their lips curl but that their mothers ate anyway because they loved them. “Yeah, those were good times,” she says softly. “C’mon, let’s get on it. I’m kinda hungry anyway. Didn’t eat dinner.”

“You _are_ looking skinnier,” Betty mumbles, looking Veronica up and down. Veronica has the urge to square her shoulders and defend herself or something, but resists; she knows she didn’t mean anything by it. Betty walks past her towards the kitchen, then turns around and asks, “Ronnie, are you coming?”

“Yeah! Yeah, I’ll be right there,” Veronica says hurriedly and follows after her friend. Her heart still flips in her chest.

 

“Okay, so… preheat the oven to 350 degrees,” Betty reads off the back of the tub of dough. Veronica twists the dial faithfully, then, with a little jump, lifts herself onto the counter beside the stove. “So,” Betty says, “how’ve you been lately? I’ve only seen you a couple times since… y’know, April. Must’ve been hard.”

Veronica sighs. Betty was one of the only people who actually treated the Westerburg “suicides” seriously, which was a breath of fresh air, but she still didn’t like to think about it- not that it ever stopped her. “Yeah, I mean, I guess it was.” _Of course, not for the reasons you’d think._ Betty knew- probably? Maybe?- that she and JD had been dating, so ostensibly, she’d lost her boyfriend, but… that wasn’t the point of it all. “I’m getting through it, though. Better now that I’m hanging out with more of my old friends.” Wordlessly, she opens the tub of dough and scoops out a little, popping it in her mouth.

“Hey, Ronnie, you’re not supposed to eat cookie dough, it has raw eggs,” Betty says worriedly.

Through a mouthful of cookie dough, Veronica says, “Eh, ‘s whatever. A little salmonella won’t kill me.” She swallows, then continues, “It tastes good, Betty; try some.”

“I dunno,” Betty says, frowning, but takes some from the tub anyway. A minute later, she mumbles, “Actually, this is… really good. But we have to save some for our cookies, okay, Veronica?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Veronica says with a dismissive wave of her hand. “So, what’ve _you_ been up to? Seen any good movies? Gone on any dates?”

Betty scoffs and rolls her eyes incredulously. “Aw, Veronica, you know me better than that. I mean, how many times do girls like me get asked out?” Suddenly embarrassed at oversharing, she closes her mouth tight for a moment, then looks down at her lap. “But, um, that’s okay! It’s nice just to hang out with you.”

Veronica fixes Betty with a scolding stare. “Oh, that’s horseshit. Plenty of people would be happy to date you.” The words spill out of her mouth before she can help them as she continues, _“I’d_ date you. I- I mean-” Betty’s head is cocked, eyes wide open- “If you were a guy.”

“Right. Well. Thanks, Veronica,” Betty says, relaxing again and smiling affectionately at her. “I appreciate it. But really, it’s okay. I don’t really like any of the guys at our school anyway. I mean, it’s not like they’re not _nice,_ but…” She shrugs. “They’re just not my type, y’know?”

“Yeah, I definitely understand where you’re coming from,” Veronica says in agreement. There’d only been one guy at Westerburg so far who’d piqued her interest enough for a second date, and look how that turned out. Girls, on the other hand… well, the girls at her school sure are beautiful. She should know; she’s right up with the best of them. ...Not that she’d ever been with any of them, but the thought had crossed Veronica’s mind more than a few times. Idly, she takes another bite of the cookie dough, and Betty seems not to notice. “You’ll find a guy someday, though. Dating in high school is a scam anyway.”

Betty nods sagely. “I hear it didn’t work out so well for you.” She swings her legs back and forth, and her heels knock gently against the drawers beneath the countertop. “I dunno. I’m not so interested in guys anyway.”

For whatever reason, that sends an excited shiver down Veronica’s spine, and she straightens up slightly. “Oh- is that right,” she murmurs. “Y’know, I guess I feel that way sometimes. I mean, sometimes they’re good, but girls are so much… kinder.” She thinks back to the Heathers, then adds, “Sometimes. Well, they’re less gross.”

“Mm-hmm,” Betty hums. “Girls are… pretty good.” The blush lights her face again, and Veronica’s chest tightens. _She can’t be thinking the same thing. ...Can she?_ Her breaths become more shallow, and she closes her eyes and shakes her head. “Veronica?” Betty asks, and she opens her eyes again. “You alright?”

“Yeah, absolutely,” Veronica answers, a little guilty that it’s something like the third time that night that Betty has had to ask that. _Jeez, I really am such a mess,_ she thinks to herself. Hesitantly, though her confidence is growing, she reaches out and takes Betty’s hand. “It’s fine to not like guys. Probably safer in the long run.” As she says it, she becomes acutely aware of how much she sounds like she’s on some after-school special from a more progressive universe and cringes. “Oh, that sounds stupid, actually.”

Betty snorts and says, “Don’t worry about it, Ronnie.” Eyes cast downward, she turns her hand and laces her fingers in the spaces between Veronica’s. Her eyes fall shut, and a serene smile graces her face, and even though she’s not wearing makeup or fancy clothes, Veronica really truly thinks that this is the most beautiful she’s ever seen her.

She prides herself on her smooth talking, but for some reason, Veronica’s charisma is sapped as she stammers, “A-alright, if you say so.” She squeezes Betty’s hand, and Betty squeezes back, smile widening. “Y’know, I didn’t think we’d end up in this position tonight.”

“Wh-what position?” Betty laughs, flustered, and Veronica freezes. _Oh my God, did I fuck it up? Was I wrong?_

“Well. Nothing, I guess,” she says, a bit of nerve seeping into her voice, but Betty rubs circles into the back of her hand with one thumb in an attempt to comfort her, and Veronica sighs. “Okay. I mean, holding hands in my kitchen talking about how you don’t like boys.”

“Yeah, I know,” Betty says, still looking downward, avoiding Veronica’s gaze. “Sorry. I made this really weird. I actually hope you don’t hate me right now?”

“Betty, look at me,” Veronica says, and Betty does so, hazel eyes nervous. “You’re my best friend, and I love you, so don’t worry, okay?” She pauses, steeling herself, and continues, “If I hated you, would I do _this?”_

Betty sits up ramrod-straight as Veronica presses her lips to hers in a feat of sleep deprivation-fueled bravery. It’s awkward at first, what with Betty being inexperienced and both of them being sort of terrified, but in a moment, Veronica feels a hand on her shoulder that pulls her closer, and she unclasps her taken hand to put hers on Betty’s hips. After a long, soft moment, Veronica pulls away and asks, “Better?”

“Y-yeah,” Betty breathes, then swallows sharply. She opens her mouth to say something, but she’s interrupted by a loud beep from the oven. “Oh- it’s… done preheating.”

“Right. Yeah. So it is,” Veronica says. “Wait, shit, we forgot to put the dough on the baking sheet.” She inspects the tub of dough and realizes with narrowed eyes that the two of them had absentmindedly eaten a good portion of it as they talked- had it really been that long? “...And we ate a lot of it.”

“Huh, we really did, didn’t we?” Betty says to nobody in particular. “Sorry, I guess I was kinda hungry. Or stress eating. I do that a lot.”

“No, don’t apologize,” Veronica says, shaking her head quickly. “C’mon, help me with this.” She rifles through the silverware drawer and grabs two spoons, tosses one to Betty, and then starts scooping the bit of dough that’s left into small spheres.

It's silent for what seems like an eon- though it's only a few minutes- before Betty says, “You didn't tell me you like girls.”

“Well, neither did you,” Veronica replies defensively. “Only JD knew, so don't feel left out. Besides, you know now.”

Eyes downcast, Betty gives a smile nearly dripping with love. “Yeah, I do. Look, I'm sorry if I made this awkward-”

“Betty, you're not making it awkward, so don't worry about it, alright?” Veronica says, not taking her eyes off the dough. “I meant everything I said. Besides, it's gonna be awkward anyway. We're teenagers; everything we _do_ is awkward.”

“Oh. Um, okay,” Betty says, and relaxes visibly. “I dunno. I shouldn't keep talking about it, I just don't know what to do now.” She pauses in her scooping to shake her head, eyes shut tight. “You know that I've never been with a girl before. And I'm glad you were my first, but what does it all mean?”

“Are we having the relationship talk right now?” Veronica asks, only about half joking. “Betty, it's like, 10:45, you shouldn't be making any major decisions. Especially since all we did was kiss.”

“I’m not _that_ tired,” Betty protests, but a yawn betrays her. “Okay, so maybe that's true. But still, you caught me off guard. I mean, we hardly talk for half a year and then you kiss me out of the blue?”

“So maybe that was a dick move,” Veronica says, shoulders falling slightly. Taking the now-full cookie sheet, she opens the oven with one hand and slides it in, closing the door carefully so as to not wake her parents. “And I'm sorry,” she continues. “But, y’know… I think I kept this shoved aside.”

“Kept what shoved aside?” Betty asks, dutifully picking up the bowl and spoons and putting them in the sink while Veronica sets the timer for the cookies. “You've felt this way for a long time?”

“I mean…” Veronica sighs and looks up at the ceiling, dark hair falling onto her shoulders. “There have been other people. JD, obviously. I was into Heather Duke for a while. But... not to sound cheesy…”

“It's always been me?” Betty finishes for her, and Veronica nods. “Oh. Yeah, that is sorta cheesy,” she says, and giggles.

Veronica hangs her head forward and laughs with her, then brushes her hair out of her face and says, “So there you have it. I guess I've… kind of been in love with you for a long time.”

“I… um…” Veronica stares intently at Betty, and she turns away sheepishly. “I think I've felt the same about you too. That's why I kept those pictures around. They made me really happy, Ronnie.” Sneaking a peek up at her, she adds, _“You_ make me really happy.”

Veronica only replies with a short exhalation of air at first, startled by Betty's reciprocation that she had never really noticed. Then again, it did make sense… Good God, she must've been so heartbroken. “You make me happy, too,” she says finally. “So I guess everything's out in the open now.”

“Yeah. What do we do now?” Betty asks,  eyes wide behind thick frames.

Veronica finds herself drawn to Betty, stepping to lean next to her against the counter. Goosebumps rise on her skin as their hands brush together, and Betty twists her hand to take Veronica's without a word. “I don't know. It feels different with girls. ...I've never done this before,” she admits. “It’s hard to find people like us. I don't want to let go.”

“So don't,” Betty says simply. “We can be together. I think that's okay… right?”

“We can't tell anyone,” Veronica warns her. “The people at school, they'll crucify us. Are you okay with that?”

“It's better than not being with anyone,” Betty says. “It's not like I'll date a guy just so I can tell people about him. Besides, we'll be done with Westerburg in a year… I can wait that long.”

Without realizing it, Veronica beams at the thought of getting away from that damn school. “So you won't mind if I…?” She leans in and kisses the corner of Betty's mouth, and Betty squeezes her hand.

“No, I don't think I'd mind if you did that.” Betty is silent, squirming a little, then adds, “I wouldn't mind if you did it again, either.”

Veronica chuckles and gleefully obliges, pressing a kiss to Betty's cheek and then her lips again, slightly chapped against her own, soft with a lingering residue of gloss. “Like that?” she whispers with a sly grin.

Betty giggles, probably the cutest sound that Veronica has ever heard, and nods. “Yeah, Ronnie, that's perfect.”

“Good,” Veronica says simply, and doesn't stop.

 

“Y'know, despite them being slightly burned, I think those are the best cookies I've ever heard,” Veronica remarks, stepping carefully into her pajama pants. “‘s nice to bake with someone you love. Haven't done it in a while.”

Betty, clad in a soft, pastel orange nightgown, gives her a nod and a toothy smile. “Yeah, it is nice,” she says quietly. She looks as if she's about to say something else, something important, but when Veronica looks at her questioningly, she instead forces out, “So, am I going to sleep in the guest room, or…?”

Veronica snorts. “Do you think I'm desperate to get rid of you or something?” She smiles at Betty, hoping to ease her anxiety. “C’mere,” she says as she lays down on her bed, slipping quietly beneath the sheets.

“Your parents won't walk in on us, will they?” Betty asks. She slides into bed beside Veronica and looks up at her nervously.

Veronica pulls Betty closer, twisting a strand of her light brown hair around her finger. “Don't worry about it. They respect my privacy… for the most part.” She's silent for a moment, thinking, then says, “I don't think they'd mind, either. I mean, they're old-fashioned in some ways, but they're not mean people.”

“Mm-hmm,” Betty hums, incredulous. “If you're sure. Because I really wanna do this, it's just… I don't want to get caught.”

Veronica laughs. “W-wait. What? What do you think 'this’ is?” She certainly hadn't had sex in mind for tonight- although she wouldn't exactly _complain,_ it certainly wasn't Betty's style. Still…

Betty blanches as she realizes the implications she's said. “Oh- oh, no, Ronnie, no, I meant, like, cuddling, or whatever.” She hides her face with one hand, mortified. “Oh, my God, that was, um…”

“Cute,” Veronica finishes for her, and her eyes flutter shut as she kisses Betty on the crown of her head.

“I was _going_ to say embarrassing,” Betty squeaks, and shifts closer to Veronica, front pressed to front. “But, I mean, I guess that works.”

Veronica chuckles, ever amused and endeared by the other girl's unique quality of being easily flustered. “Now, come on. I wanna get some sleep for once, and you're very soft.” She holds Betty close, close enough to feel her heart beat, and contentment washes over her as if some dam in her mind had been demolished.

Sleep doesn't quite come easy. It never does. Still, with Betty snuggled up close and the quiet hum of the air conditioning permeating the air, Veronica feels at peace. It won't be forever, and she knows it, but it's _something_ that hasn't gone wrong in her miserable life, and she'd rather die than give up that spark of hope. _Hope,_ Veronica thinks, minutes from drifting off to sleep. _That's what you are, Betty Finn. You're my sliver of hope._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! I love you!!!! And Etoile, I hope it lived up to your expectations! I love you especially!


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